Gerath's Pull
by TurquoiseRedPinkPurpleBlue
Summary: Magolor invites his friends, Marx, Taranza, Poppy Bros. Jr., and Burnin' Leo for a trip to Halcandra. However, on the way back, they run into a deadly obstacle. T for language and description of injuries.
1. Going Home

"Go fish."

Sighing, Marx reached forward and, in his struggle to draw another card, knocked the deck over. Taranza slowly reached over and righted it again, glancing at his own cards. "Alright, Poppy, any threes?"

Poppy, however, was sound asleep. Leo nudged him a bit, prompting the bomb enthusiast to straighten up, slightly confused. "Threes?" Leo muttered, and Poppy's eyes scanned his cards.

"No. Let's just go to bed," he murmured, leaning back again. The door opened with a quiet swish and in floated Magolor, hands and eyes drooping.

"How long's this been going on?" he asked, gently settling on the floor between Marx and Poppy.

"Like, three hours!" Poppy cried in frustration. Taranza scoffed.

"It hasn't been that long."

Marx prodded Magolor's side. "Hey, hey, hey, if you're here, who's flying the Lor?" he asked, raising his voice. Magolor pushed him back.

"I set her on a course. Don't worry, she's good at avoiding hazards. I'm thinking I'll just retire for the night, if you guys don't mind."

Poppy nodded. "Me too." He thrust his remaining cards into Leo's hands and watched as the fire demon sorted out a few more pairs.

"Wha-hey, that's not fair!" Taranza protested, jabbing a finger at Leo. Leo glanced up at him.

"Taranza, got any eights?"

"Here," Marx added, handing Taranza his cards. "I'm going too. You guys finish up." Standing, he scooped Poppy into his arms and followed behind Magolor as they headed toward the residence hall.

"So," Magolor said, "what did you think of Halcandra, Marx?" As he glanced at the Halcandran, Marx was met with a glower of anticipated disappointment. He sighed, wrapping a claw around Poppy's head.

"It was nice to see where you come from," he answered, "but you can see why we weren't that much into it, right?" Magolor tilted his head.

"It's very...inorganic," Marx continued. "Nearly all of us are native to Popstar, and most of us hadn't seen a mechanical planet before."

"Well, technically, it's not mechanical," Magolor stuttered, "just modified."

Marx laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, Leo was absolutely raving about Dangerous Dinner." Magolor chuckled.

"It does."

When they got to the hall, Marx pulled the covers back and set Poppy down in his bed, the lower half of a bunk. He swaddled him in the blankets. Poppy curled up and buried his face in the covers. Marx stepped back, glancing as Magolor scaled the bunk.

"Are you sure Lor Starcutter can handle herself?" he asked, flapping his wings to join Magolor.

"She's only a legendary Ancient Halcandran artifact. She'll do just fine on autopilot. Don't worry, Marx; you can fly through space anyway."

The mention of it caused a bud of tranquility to bloom in Marx's heart. He hopped to the next bed and pulled the covers into a hood around him. "I suppose," he answered, his mind already consumed in the peaceful feeling of flight. He let the drifting feeling carry him to sleep, barely noticing Leo's footsteps as he and Taranza finally retired.


	2. Trapped

Suddenly, there was a blaring sound.

Poppy bolted up and screamed, covering his ears. Leo's hair grew brighter as he looked around, terrified. The flashing lights woke Marx, and he cracked his eyes open to see blips of light strewn across the ceiling. Taranza was halfway through casting a spell, but Magolor leapt out of bed and floated to the ground.

"Don't worry-" he barked to his companions, "It's just the Lor's alarm system. I'll go see what it is." With that, he soared out of the room, whooshing down the hallway.

"Jeez," Marx muttered, uncoiling the blankets surrounding him. "What time is it? It feels like I haven't slept at all." As he looked around, he saw Taranza closing the gap between their beds.

"What do you think it is?!" Taranza hollered, "A leak? A fire? An explosion?!"

"Explosion?" Repeated Poppy as he joined them. Leo was close behind him.

"That's not a good thing!" Taranza snapped. Two hands were grappled on his hair, two holding Marx, and the final two wrung themselves.

"It's not an explosion!" Marx shouted. "We would've felt it. And if it's fire, we'll be able to see the smoke and get out. I can fly us through space if needed." He sighed, drawing Poppy and Leo close. "Don't worry, Magolor's gonna see what it is. As long as we don't see smoke, or feel turbulence-"

A rack of tremors rattled the ship. Everybody reflexively clung to each other. It didn't stop, but rather shrank into a mild shiver. Marx took a few deep breaths, beginning to feel Taranza's terror.

"No, no, no, no, _no!_ " Came Magolor's voice, echoing through the halls. He sounded frantic and was grunting with effort. Struck with fear, Marx quickly untangled himself from the mass of bodies and leapt from the bed, spreading his wings. He flew to the control room, immediately noting the red light streaming from space and making the Lor's floor look gray.

Magolor was poised at the control panel, yanking on a few levers. He slightly shifted their positions and looked at the holographic screen above them. He muttered and swore and yanked the levers again.

"What in the stars is going on?!" Marx growled, running to join Magolor. Magolor lifted a shaky glove and pointed past the screen, to the windshield. Marx slowly approached, terrified of what he might find.

Outside, he saw the curved figure of a star. It was bright red with a surplus of sunspots, making it appear as molten lava. It threw flares into the space around it with vigor.

"Aren't we a little too close to that thing?" Marx asked, turning back to Magolor.

" _Of course we are!_ " Magolor cried, glowering at his screen.

"Lor can handle herself, huh?!" Marx quipped, seething in anger.

"This wasn't the Lor's fault!" Magolor turned to face Marx. "This is the Phantom Star Gerath, a demon-star that tries to lure in ships and crash into planets!"

"Demon-star," Marx repeated in disbelief. "You're telling me that this thing is _trying_ to kill us?"

Magolor nodded, letting out a shuddering breath. "I'm trying to see if I can get us out of its pull with the fuel we have. If I can't, then we…" Looking around, Magolor noticed three figures leaning in the doorway. "We...we, uh…"

"We die," Leo murmured. Marx jumped, spinning to face his three companions. The flickering light illuminated their faces. Tears were streaming from all of Taranza's eyes. He was holding onto both Poppy and Leo.

"That thing's really trying to kill us?" Poppy whimpered. Forcing a grin, Marx rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but it'll fail. Everything that tries to kill us fails. We've faced tons of demons before, right?"

All three remained silent. The only sounds were the Lor's blaring alarm and the click-clacking of Magolor's control panel. That ceased as well.

"Well?" Taranza asked, approaching Magolor. "Can you get us out?"

Magolor glanced at Taranza before turning away, ears flattened and head hung low.

"Well?" Marx asked. " _Well_ , Magolor?"

"I can keep us in at this distance for four days," Magolor muttered, staring at the control panel.

"You can't-" Marx stuttered, glancing back to Gerath. A flare whipped from its surface, rocking the ship. Silence reigned again.

"Four Popstarian or Halcandran days?" Leo finally asked.

"Popstarian. We have ninety-six hours to think of a plan."

"That's plenty of time," Taranza sighed, sounding as if he were trying to convince himself more than anyone else. As everyone turned to their own thoughts, Marx sprung into action.

"Forget that!" He cried, spreading his wings. "If Magolor's not gonna get us out of here, then I will!"

"Marx, stop!" Leo hollered, leaping after Marx as he swooped down another hall.

Marx stopped in front of the Lor's hatch. He took a deep breath, reached out, and turned the handle.

Instantly, he was pulled from the ship. A blast of heat hit him and scalded his skin. He flapped his wings frantically, managing to somewhat slow his descent into the star. Gerath mercilessly blinded him and burned him, turning his thoughts to imminent death.

He felt energy building up within him and released it as a laser. It pierced through space and combined with the energy of the star, causing a flare to erupt. It hurtled back through space and forced Marx against the hull of the Lor. On the edge of unconsciousness, he barely felt something wrap around his wing.

Taranza pulled against the webbing with all of his might. His own magic was the only thing keeping him and Marx from plummeting into Gerath. He dragged Marx closer to him until he could haul him in the ship. Then, he forced the door closed.

"It's safe now," Taranza called, breathing heavily. He glanced over Marx's blackened body, grimacing at the rising blisters.


	3. Recovering

Magolor stumbled down the hall, shortly followed by Poppy and Leo. "Stupid!" He screamed, raising a hand to strike Marx, but thinking better as he saw his condition. "I can't believe you," he growled. His eyes passed between Marx and the web-coated Taranza.

"I can't believe you, either, Taranza. That was some quick thinking." Taranza, not knowing how to respond, only lowered his head.

Leo gasped, shoving his way through to get a better look a Marx. "I-I can take care of this! It's not like I haven't burned anyone before…" He glanced back at Magolor. "What supplies do you have?"

"There's an infirmary," Magolor said, pointing, "down that way. Two turns left. Not sure how well-stocked it is…" Leo nodded and took off.

Taranza couldn't keep his eyes off of Marx. He was letting out little groans of pain, yet he didn't seem quite aware of what was happening around him. Though Taranza had expected it to be black, his skin looked bleached. Shaking, Taranza addressed Magolor.

"This was only from a minute of exposure to it," he whimpered. "Is this how we're gonna die?"

"No!" Magolor snapped. "Don't say stuff like that."

A clinking sound became more apparent as its source drew nearer. Leo turned the corner, pushing an IV pole with him. On it dangled several bags, some with fluid, others with supplies.

"You probably better go," Leo said, "except you, Poppy. I'm gonna need you." Poppy nodded, catching a bag as Leo threw it to him.

"Come on, Taranza," Magolor goaded, taking one of Taranza's hands. Taranza slowly untangled himself from his webbing, letting Magolor drag him away. They returned to the control room in silence.

"Idiot," Magolor mumbled, "Now our team of five is down to four." He took his position at the control panel and checked the Lor's position and fuel. "Hmm, we're a bit farther away. Marx must've bumped us back a bit when he hit the hull. We might have a few more hours."

"Maybe a chance to get out?" Taranza asked. Magolor sighed, flattening his ears and shaking his head.

"We're still a long ways away from getting out. And we don't have a good supply of idiotic puffballs to slam into us from outside and help us escape." Magolor put his face in his hands. "Why did he even go out there, anyway?" he groaned.

"To fly through space," Taranza murmured blankly. "He thought he could save us."

"Well-" Magolor huffed, "did he not account for Gerath's gravitational pull? Or that some of us here in the Lor can't fly if we get pulled into space? Or-"

"Calm down," Taranza whispered. "We are from Popstar. Not all of us regularly cross interdimensional barriers in our spaceships."

"He should have known!" Magolor wailed.

"He's from the Popstar system!" Taranza yelled back, "The hottest thing there is our sun, which Marx was able to get close enough to to convince it to fight the moon. He didn't know any better."

Magolor sunk to the floor, burying his face. Taranza could hear occasional hiccups and sobs.

"On the bright side, I didn't know Leo could be such a medic," Taranza mentioned, disturbed at the silence.

"Bright side," Magolor growled, "Look out that window. That's the only bright side I'm seeing." He lifted his hand and pointed to Gerath's overbearing form, its light shining across the floor and leaving long shadows. A scream from Marx accented the scene and made Taranza jump. Another scream came from Poppy, shortly followed by a few harsh words from Leo.

Taranza silently turned and headed toward them, his gut rising with anticipation. He could steadily distinguish Leo's orders-"A little more ointment there," "Don't jostle the needle," "Pull it tighter on that end, he'll be fine."

"How's it going?" he asked as he approached. Poppy looked up at him, face almost as white as Marx's.

"Pretty good, actually," Leo answered, not taking his eyes off his work. "It's not lethal; he's gonna be better soon, as long as none of this gets infected."

Taranza scanned Marx's body. He was still pale, but his eyes were open and focused on him. He could see the IV needle leading into his side. Most of his face and part of his wings were covered in gauze.

"Hey," Marx croaked. Taranza shuddered a bit. "Thanks for, uh, saving my life." His words were drawn out and slow.

"Yeah," Taranza stammered.

"If anyone on this ship's-" Marx cut off into a hiss, his body twitching and spasming with pain. Panting, he picked up where he left off. "-gonna save us, it'll be you."

Taranza's eyes grew misty. "Do you need any help?" he asked Leo obligatorily, and with a negative answer, flew toward the residence hall.

Once he got there, he took shelter under his blankets. In the darkness, he couldn't see the red light. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't think anything. All thoughts were of death and loss, and soon, he found his body pulled into paralyzation and his mind pulled back to Floralia.

' _At least I'll be with Sectonia soon,_ ' he thought, ' _I hope she's better now._ '

After a few minutes, Poppy rushed into the room. Taranza peeked out from under the covers and watched as he pulled a blanket off the bed, spread it out on the floor, and left, dragging it with him. A bit after that, Poppy and Leo returned, barely managing to carry Marx in the blanket. They didn't notice Taranza.

"What do we do now?" Poppy asked.

"We leave him alone. Maybe we should leave Magolor alone too, huh?" Poppy nodded. "Well, maybe we need a bit of time to destress. We've still got almost a hundred hours left."

' _A good idea, but impossible,_ ' Taranza thought as he watched them leave.

Eventually, the stink of ointment got to him, so he left. He wandered aimlessly through the Lor, trying to trap himself out of his own thoughts, barely noticing where he was going.

Meanwhile, Magolor was exploring every possible function the Lor possessed. He knew he could modify its fuel consumption, but no amount of it could build up enough speed to break through Gareth's pull. He thought that he could use the Lor's sail to help. It was inflammable, and hopefully it could catch some solar winds to help get them free-if the winds didn't damage it, and if he could get the Lor at the right angle.

He deduced its properties and began relating them to their current situation. He had never had to utilize equipment so close to a star before. He thought for the rest of the night, and through the next day. The whole time, Gareth watched him, blazing brightly in a display of mockery.


	4. Glimmers of Hope

In the morning, Magolor heard footsteps. He looked back to see Marx shuffling along, wings trailing behind him. "Hey, nerd," he rasped, eyes averted.

"Hey, jackass," Magolor jabbed, glaring at him. "How does it feel?"

"Like hell," Marx squawked. "How's you're getting us burned up in a giant star working out?"

"That's not what I'm doing," retorted Magolor, "I'm trying to get us out of here. In a logical way, as opposed to you." He turned back to his screen. "Bet you wish you had Nova right about now."

Marx seethed. "Bet you wish you had that stupid crown. Bet you wish you'd picked it up while we were still on your crummy planet!"

"I wish I'd never been to your crummy planet!" Magolor shouted, wheeling on Marx. "Then I would've never had to see your stupid face!" he paused, drawing in a breath. "If I had never listened to your stupid plan, we wouldn't be here!"

"My stupid plan?" Marx wheezed, pointing to himself. "I told you it didn't work, and you copied it anyway! You thought you could do better than me, huh?"

"Of course! I can do anything better than you! I even got further with my plan-and I've gotten so much further with finding a way out of here, too!"

"You're just sitting there-"

"Stop."

Both turned to see Taranza lingering in the doorway. He was drooping with exhaustion, his eyelids lowered. "Marx, you're hurt, go lay down."

After confronted with a second of silence, he repeated himself. "You're hurt. Go lay down again." He closed his eyes. "You're hurt, go lay down. You're hurt, go lay down."

His words dissolved to passionate sobbing, and he lowered himself to the floor, hands strewn about him. "You're gonna be hurt for the rest of your life!" he wailed, crawling toward the two.

"I couldn't think of anything-I can't-I don't want to-" A pair of hands reached out and Marx took them in his claws, feeling tears spring to his eyes. Magolor drifted to them and took another of Taranza's hands, shocked and how tight his grip was.

"Magolor," Taranza gasped, "How's it gonna happen?"

Magolor was at a loss for what to say. "I...haven't been thinking about it that much."

"I have," Taranza whimpered. His eyes cracked open. "The ship could get crushed under the pressure. Or it could cook us. Or the ship could burst open and leave us out in the open to burn up, like you, Marx."

"How about vaporization?" Marx suggested.

"Do you two really think this is going to help?" Magolor snapped. Taranza let out a few more sobs, collapsing to the floor.

"I'm never gonna see Floralia again, or the lower world, or the other planets, or…" His body racked and shivered as he let out the most sorrowful, horrid noise that both Magolor and Marx had ever heard.

"Are we interrupting something?" Leo asked from the doorway. Poppy stood behind him, almost hiding. Magolor quickly stood before Taranza, letting Marx help him up.

"No, no. I was interrupted from my work, anyway. What is it?"

"Poppy has something to tell you," Leo said firmly, glancing to his companion. "It may provide a bit of solace. We're going to die faster than we thought."

"What?" Magolor asked, stunned. "Poppy, what did you do?"

"Well…" Poppy began, trailing off and avoiding eye contact. "I didn't think I could stand being away from Popstar for so long. Y'know, Popstar, with my bombs, and fireworks, and...y'know!"

"Poppy," Magolor repeated, lowering his tone, "what did you do?"

"So I brought some with me," Poppy confessed between nervous laughter. Astonished, Magolor looked at Leo.

"He's got a few dozen in storage," Leo said.

"Wait-" Taranza looked up from the floor, gazing at Gerath's light. "If we have bombs, then…"

"You smuggled explosives onto my ship?" Magolor stated. Marx broke into a hearty laughter, which he immediately tried to quell as his scorched skin protested.

"If we have that much force, there's a chance to…" Taranza rushed to the windshield, looking outside.

"You smuggled _explosives_ onto my _ship_ ," Magolor repeated. But Poppy was no longer paying attention to him. He watched the tear-streaked Taranza as he formulated a plan. Leo took Poppy's hand and joined him at the windshield.

"I'll need a bit of time to think, but I've got a hunch," Taranza breathed. Marx, smiling, grabbed Magolor's glove and shook it.

Taranza sped away, back to the residence hall. But this time, he was ecstatic. He was blind to anything else than his plan, and he thought feverishly.

The other four watched him go. "I don't think your planet's crummy," Marx murmured to Magolor. "I just like Popstar better."

"I think I like Popstar better too," Magolor replied.


	5. Execution

The next day, Taranza called everyone back to the control room. An amount weighed on his mind; thirty-three hours had passed, leaving only sixty-five. But if this plan failed, it would be zero. He told himself that as he tried to shake off his fear, but the amount was always there.

Leo had changed Marx's dressing and he was on the way to recovery-if they ever got out. Magolor had put some additional thought into using the Lor's sail, and decided to propose it to Taranza if it would help with his plan. Poppy and Marx had been keeping each other's company-Marx's optimism, though forced, delighted Poppy, and Poppy could keep Marx entertained and distracted from the pain.

"Alright," Taranza called, gaining everyone's attention. "We've got a chance to get out of Gerath's pull and make it back to Popstar."

He turned to Poppy. "First, you get your bombs up here. To my understanding, Leo's been lighting them for you?"

Poppy nodded. "He makes sure I can't set them off on my own."

"Alright. You get your bombs up here. I'll have set up a web where you can put them-it'll keep them and you from flying into space. Leo, you're coming with me."

Leo comically tilted his head, pointing to himself, making Poppy laugh. Taranza smiled. "You'll be the one handling the bombs-my magic will keep you anchored to the ship as you crawl across it. You'll deliver the bombs to the port side of the hull. Then, you'll explode them against us."

"What?!" Magolor cried. "You're gonna blow up my ship?!"

Taranza shuddered-he had been prepared for Magolor's angered reaction, but his tone signalled a deep, desperate sorrow. "Well," he breathed, "it's either that or she burns up in Gerath."

Magolor's ears flattened against his head. He rose and embraced the control panel, whispering apologies.

"Great, Magolor, you'll be right there," Taranza continued, trying to recover. "You'll keep tabs on how the Lor's doing and control how much fuel she's using. You know a lot more about that then I do, so I'll leave that to you."

"Wait," Magolor interjected, "I have another idea. What if I control the sail from here too?"

"The sail?" Taranza asked.

"Once we get the Lor in a good position, I can open the sail and catch Gerath's solar wind," he explained.

Taranza grinned. "Yeah, that'll help a lot! Maybe we won't have to set off bombs as often." He turned, again, to Poppy. "You'll be communications after you finish getting the bombs. You can relay messages between Magolor and me."

"What about me?" Marx asked.

"You're hurt, Marx, you're part of the plan is laying down," said Taranza.

"What?" he yelped, "I could be communications!"

"It's probably best that you don't get in the way again," Magolor explained, accidently letting their argument surface again. Letting his temper get the best of him, Marx huffed and stormed back to the residence hall.

"Does everyone understand?" Taranza asked.

"I don't, but I'll trust you," Leo chuckled.

"I'll have a web around you," Taranza explained, "and you'll use it to get to the middle of the Lor's hull. Then, you'll light it and come back to me for another."

"I'll trust you," Leo repeated.

"Alright, let's go," Taranza concluded.

Taranza few to the hatch, shorty followed by Leo, and set up a web to cover the hall. Magolor darted to the control panel and readied himself, apologizing profusely to his ship. Poppy ran to the storage room and dug around for his bombs, pausing a second to admire them and the noise they'll make before heading back up. As he returned, Taranza wrapped his spell around Leo over and over, stuck himself to the ground, and drew a coil in between them.

Poppy deposited his two bombs in the web. "Go tell Magolor," Taranza ordered. Poppy did just that as Leo reached out and took a bomb.

"They're going!" Poppy shouted as he passed Magolor. The Halcandran swore under his breath.

Leo secured the bomb to his back. With a countdown, Taranza opened the hatch door. Leo, grabbing Taranza's magic in his fists, crawled outside to the hull. Struggling against the heat, Taranza shot a web of magic at the door and pulled it halfway shut. Leo made his way to the center of the Lor's hull, but as he went to plant the bomb, he realized that the fuse was already lit.

Panicking, he threw the bomb as hard as he could. It curved into Gerath and exploded, sending a pang of pain through Leo's ears. He made his way back, heart pounding.

"I didn't feel anything," Taranza noted as he drew close.

"I couldn't get it on the hull," Leo said. "Get me another. I'll try a different strategy."

With the second bomb, Leo held it in one hand, scooting along the hull. He kept a careful eye on the fuse. As it lit, he rolled it against the hull, then backed up toward the hatch. It exploded, jerking the Lor and denting its hull.

Feeling the tremors, Magolor groaned in empathy. He checked the Lor's distance, finding that it had been bumped away a little farther. This lit a flame of joy inside his heart, which he soon felt guilty for, but as Poppy came by again, he told him to tell Taranza the good news.

Their process continued for a few rounds, with each bomb covering a bit more distance. Though he couldn't aim very well, Leo grew better at estimating how far he could get the bomb. When some of the Lor's plating came off, Magolor felt a wave of fatigue pass over him and Taranza's heart tightened. It became a matter of how far away they could get the ship without destroying it.

Eventually, a scream was heard from the control room. "Poppy! Poppy! They blew out the engine! Oh, stars, the engine's out!" Poppy hurried to deliver.

"At least we still have a sail," Taranza reasoned. "Ask Magolor if he can hoist it." So Poppy did.

"I'll try," Magolor said. "I thought we'd have enough fuel to make it out of orbit, but _we can't use it now!_ "

With that, he threw a few levers and hoisted the sail. Immediately, the Lor jolted, prompting Taranza to pull Leo inside and shut the hatch. The sail carried them a fair way before the wind toppled it forward. Magolor, feeling and hearing the crack of the mast, finally succumbed to unconsciousness. The Lor started to sink back.

"Leo," Taranza barked, "we need another one." Leo, nodding, secured another bomb to himself. Taranza opened the hatch and sent him out. Fearing Magolor's wrath at the end of it, Leo threw the bomb into the engine room and crawled back.

It sent them flying. Mostly free from the pull, the Lor hurtled into the void of space, leaving Gerath behind. Laughing in pure joy, Leo returned to Taraza and they threw their arms around each other, the webbing sticking together. Poppy, running to Magolor, found him on the floor underneath the control panel and shook him awake.

"Magolor, we're out! We're flying through space now!" he chirped. Magolor glared at him.

"Yeah, in an unknown direction, with no sail and no fuel!" he barked, sitting up. "We're not going home. We just prolonged our deaths."

But Poppy was not listening. In his fit, Magolor had failed to notice the slight turbulence shaking the Lor every few seconds. Poppy and Magolor watched the Lor's speedometer rise and fall, rise and fall…

"What the hell is that?" Magolor muttered.

"I'll go ask!" said Poppy, running back to Taranza. However, as he approached the hatch, he saw Taranza and Leo coming back. They weren't the cause of it…

Magolor cautiously approached the stairs to the Lor's upper deck. He tested the door, making sure he would be grounded to the Lor's gravitational pull, and stepped outside. Near the stern, he saw a bright burst of energy hurtle through space. With it, the Lor slid forward, changing direction.

As he got closer, Magolor saw the cracked mast of his ship dangling in the void. Two white claws were barely visible grasping onto the railing. Peeking over the edge, Magolor saw Marx, one wing on the railing and the other curled around the top of the mast.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, leaning on the railway. Marx looked up, surprised.

"Getting some fresh air. What do you think I'm doing?"

Magolor rolled his eyes. "Let's get that tied to the ship. Then you can pull your little stunt and get us back home."

Marx crawled back on the deck as Magolor retrieved some rope. As Magolor held the mast down, Marx took the end of the rope and flew around the Lor, wrapping the mast in the place. When they were done, Marx started to return to his aft position, but Magolor threw his arms around him.

"Don't get yourself hurt even more, okay?"

"I won't. Don't worry."

"Come back in if it hurts to much."

"It doesn't hurt."

"It doesn't?"

"No. The only thing that hurts is your grip."

Embarrassed, Magolor reeled back. "You better tell everyone we're going home," Marx continued, "unless that's still Poppy's job."

As Magolor turned to head back inside, a realization came to his mind. "Marx, were you eavesdropping on us?" he asked.

"What you you mean?"

"How did you know the engine was out?"

Marx laughed. "I wasn't eavesdropping-not on purpose. People on Ripple Star would know you're engine's out."

"Oh," Magolor said, "so that's why my voice hurts."

"Get inside," Marx retorted playfully. Magolor obeyed.


	6. Conclusion

Amidst much celebration (of course, without the use of explosives), the Lor made its way back to Popstar quite shakily. After Marx got the right direction to Popstar, he returned to the others. Taranza eagerly kept a careful eye on the horizon, looking for that little speck of gold. Magolor attempted what repairs he could, the joy of being alive quickly overran by worry for the Lor. Poppy and Leo simply relished the expanses of space, playing every game they knew and letting their conversations wander. As Marx healed, he eventually took the two on a spacewalk, soaring by the Lor's side.

One night, Magolor stood poised before the control panel. He had taken to sleeping in the day and making sure their course was straight at night. But as the Lor sailed past Halfmoon, the excitement kept him awake.

Popstar's brilliance lit the blackness in the distance. It was the brightest object in its system, and its gleam welcomed Magolor back.

After they got past Floria, Magolor ducked back to the residence hall. Popy's feet dangled over the edge of his bed, but his face was buried in covers. Leo's hair flickered like candlelight. Marx had Taranza wrapped up in his wings, awake enough to keep the Floralian away from his wounded skin. He looked up as Magolor entered.

"We're almost there," he whispered. Grinning, Marx shook Taranza awake, repeating Magolor's message. Taranza beamed and leapt out of bed, vaulting to Leo's position.

Magolor floated up to Marx. "I'm gonna need your help," he murmured, "at least to stop the ship. I'm not sure if we can make a good landing."

Marx swore. "You could always head for Orange Ocean," he responded. "Pushing the Lor through space is a lot different than pulling her through an atmosphere."

"I don't want her to sink, though," Magolor sighed.

"Maybe we could get help," Marx suggested. "I think I know a guy."

"A guy that would forgive us for betraying him and help us out?" Magolor asked.

"Hopefully."

Marx stopped the Lor's movement, letting it drift a bit away from Popstar. Then, he swooped down to Dreamland and, as fast as he could, gathered the five Sparkling Stars and brought them to Kirby's house. He pounded on the door.

A very tired Kirby answered the door, lidded eyes widening as he saw what Marx had. "Are you hurt? Wait...are those the Sparkling Stars, Marx?"

"That would be a yes," Marx answered.

"As in, the Sparkling Stars that Popstarians use to harvest food?"

"I'm only borrowing them for a minute!" Marx set the Stars down, taking Kirby's hand. "I need your help. I need you to suck up the Stars and do that balloon thing you did when Dedede stole all the food."

"Why?" Kirby asked, bewildered.

"It's a long story," Marx stuttered, "that I will _definitely_ tell you once we get the Lor Starcutter back on Popstar. Its engine is broken and so is its sail."

Marx thrust the Stars into Kirby's arms. Shaking his head, Kirby stepped forward. "Take me up there."

Marx took Kirby back to the Lor Starcutter. Kirby swallowed the Sparkling Stars and inflated himself, attaching to the Lor. A laser from Marx propelled them toward Popstar, and soon, Kirby was the only thing keeping her from crashing into the planet.

She landed harshly, causing a slight quake in the ground around her. Kirby deflated and sunk to the ground, leaping from the remains of Lor's mast. He spat out the Stars, letting them find their original positions, and approached Marx.

"This better be a good story," Kirby said, "I didn't believe you were telling the truth 'till I saw it."

"Why would I lie to you?" Marx chuckled. "Anyway, Halcandra was kind of a crummy planet, but we ran into trouble on the way back. It was the middle of the night, and…"

Magolor immediately started repairing the Lor. Poppy unloaded his bombs and let them blow, one by one, much to the dismay of everyone in Whispy Woods. Leo found a few field to torch. Taranza rushed back to Floralia as fast as he could, looking forward to greeting his people again. Marx told their story to Kirby, savoring the soft feeling of Popstar's grass and its crisp, night air.


End file.
